How to Spot Fakes When Buying Vintage Clothing and Accessories

Anyone who has taken the time to shop for vintage clothing and accessories knows that this can be very risky. Of course, you need to go into details, realizing that these clothes are old (or at least should be), which means that they were probably worn out and may not be the most perfect, flawless, completely intact. clothes.

But are they really genuine? Well, it depends on a lot of things, including what you think is “authentic” in a given context – for example, whether it is really an old item or a new vintage item trying to convey it.

And it’s also about fakes. While this probably won’t be an issue with the Basic Editions T-shirt from the mid-1990s, this is what happens when you deal with larger brands and luxury designers. So how do you know if real vintage clothing is a real deal or an attempt to make you overpay? Here’s what you need to know.

Make sure the items are worth their price.

Just to clarify, we are not talking about items in thrift stores where prices are relatively low and sometimes they are tied to a non-profit organization. We’re talking real vintage stores and websites with carefully curated clothing collections and significantly higher prices. Since you pay more for these items, you want to be sure that you are getting your money’s worth and that you are not exposed to scams.

How to tell a vintage item from a fake

Okay, so how do you spot a fake? It all depends on how good the fake is, according to Gillian Clarke, a Los Angeles-based costume designer. Here are three tips from an interview she gave to Real Simple :

Check the logo

“Most fakes are easy to spot by the logo or design they mimic,” Clarke told Real Simple. “More often than not, the design will be slightly modified, so it can go almost unnoticed by the indifferent consumer.”

Check the label

When it comes to vintage designer clothing, Clarke says most items will have some sort of “authenticity label” stitched on them, or original labels that aren’t easy to replicate.

Shop from a trusted vintage store

Finally, Clarke advises that you go to vintage clothing retailers you know and trust and don’t try to sell you knockoffs.

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